Let the Flames Flicker On
by Forever-Tangled
Summary: Elsa's got fire powers, and she isn't the insecure, fearful young woman in the original movie. When she comes up with a terrible plot, it's up to Anna, Eugene, and Rapunzel to save hundreds of lives. Inspired by the song "Let it Burn" by RED, and also kind of by the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I'm terrible at summaries and I don't own Tangled or Frozen. Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

The tall, slender woman paced in the room. The temperature rapidly rose, steam clung to the window and clouded her view of the outdoors. As she paused to watch the window, her wonderful and prosperous country disappeared under a thick layer of condensation.

"We are not waging war upon your country, sir, we are simply refusing to continue allowing trade from our country to yours." she explained cooly, throwing a glance towards the tall man that stood in the middle of the room, red-faced and angry at her decision. She was the Queen of Arendelle, for goodness' sake, and he was only the King of Corona. He didn't know how to make a deal with her, being that he's only been the king for a year. And before he met the Lost Princess of Corona, he'd been a thief; before that, even, he'd been a simple orphan.

"I didn't say you were, _your highness, _but your country is one of the biggest sources of trade that Corona gets! If you cut ties with us, it won't end well for the people of our country. I'm sure you know how stressful running a country is, so you surely understand why I don't like your decision, right?" Eugene asked, a stream of sweat slipping down his forehead. These stuffy, king-oufits were worthless.

She fingered a strand of her raven hair before turning to look at the man. She was getting angrier at him by the second. "My decision isn't changing, sir, so please leave,"

He gave her a desperate stare. He knew Arendelle had a surplus of items and food to trade, and had been cutting ties to other countries as well. The Queen was likely planning to become one of the biggest and strongest countries, leaving small islands such as Corona behind in the dust.

"Look. I don't know what your plan is, but all I know is you obviously don't understand the meaning of fair trade. We still send shipments to your country-if you don't send shipments in return, you won't get any at all. It's only fair, obviously. And the shipments you've been sending have been coming up short the past few months, by the way-in case you didn't think we'd notice," he said angrily.

Elsa gave him a steely gaze. "I would recommend that you leave this instant," she said, curling her hands into hot fists. This was the third time this week she'd dealt with an angry king or tributary over this same issue. On top of this, the people of her own country were turning against her, displeased with her decision. Did they not see that she was trying to help make the country better; to ensure that everyone had plenty of everything?

This young king, however, stood his ground and wouldn't move. "Your country needs us as much as we need you,"

"No, we don't," she threw back simply. She stared as sweat streamed down his face. He was infuriating her, and she was about to let him have it if he wouldn't go away and accept her decision.

"Your plan is weak. You have plenty for the country right now, but what happens when that surplus runs out, and nobody will accept trade from you because they know you don't play well with others? Your country goes down the drain. I'm sorry, but that's how it works, even I know that-" he broke off when she snapped and lunged at him. She grabbed his neck and dug her fingernails into his skin.

"Leave. Now." she glared at him, and watched with satisfaction as his eyes widened with fear. He gave a yelp and felt almost as if she had literally burned his skin, so he yanked away from her.

With that, he stormed from the room, making sure to slam the door to let her know that he wasn't giving in happily. When he left, she was left breathing heavily, glaring at the place where he had stood. Drat him! Drat all of them! They knew so little of running a country, yet criticized her for her brilliant plan. How dare they! Releasing all of the anger she had kept pent up during the meeting, she slashed her arm to the side, and a burst of fire shot from her long fingers. She stared with pleasure as she watched the flames lick up the sides of a tablecloth before devouring it completely, and a thought formed in her mind. If her people didn't accept how she ran the country, if the other rulers didn't accept her decisions...she'd show them how powerful of a Queen she was. A good dose of fear never hurt anyone.


	2. Chapter 2

"Did you get anywhere with her?" Rapunzel stood up as soon as she saw Eugene leave the room.  
>"No. She's nuts," he said shortly. He was still sweating, and his neck stung from whatever she'd done to him.<br>Rapunzel sucked in a deep breath. Arendelle had been one of their biggest sources of trade. "I'm...I'm sure we'll be able to manage-wait, Eugene. What happened to your neck?" she promptly stood on tiptoe in the middle of the castle's hallway, tugging at Eugene's shirt collar until she could see more of his bare skin, which was just slightly burnt. "What on earth happened, Eugene? Your neck..."  
>"I don't know how, but I think she somehow burned me when she grabbed me by the neck to tell me to leave. I was a bit obstinate, as you know I can be." he winked, trying to distract her.<br>"We need to get some cold water somewh-"  
>"I'll be fine, Blondie. It's not even that bad of a burn," he pulled out her nickname to get her to lighten up.<br>She gave him a _look, _reminding him that she wouldn't forget about his burn, but sighed and nodded, slipping her arm through his. "Well...what do we do for the rest of the day? We could walk around the kingdom, I suppose...the captain of the ship isn't due back until tonight."  
>He nodded. As much as he wanted to leave, he knew they couldn't just sit around and wait for the captain to return to the dock.<p>

They started down the hallway to leave the castle, and were met at the door by a redhead. Rather, she rammed smack into both of them, backpedaling and landing on her backside with a thud.  
>"Oh, goodness - are you okay?" Rapunzel, who recovered from her surprise quicker than her husband, bent to help the girl to her feet.<br>"Um, yeah. Who are you? And do you know where my sister is? The mail carrier just dropped all these letters off for her..." the girl gestured to about five envelopes, all of which were scattered on the tile floor.  
>"I'm Rapunzel, and this is Eugene...we're the King and Queen of Corona. Your sister...is she the Queen?" Rapunzel asked, helping to scoop up the envelopes and hand them to the girl.<br>"O-oh! I am so sorry!" the redhead quickly bent in a curtsy before continuing. "Um...yeah. Elsa's the Queen. I'm her sister, Anna."  
>"Okay. Well, we were just leaving, but she was in the meeting room when we left," Rapunzel told her. "Nice to meet you, Anna."<br>"Nice to meet you, too," Anna called as she tore off in the direction of the meeting room.  
>"Maybe I should've warned her that I left her sister furious," Eugene muttered.<br>"Eh...she was just mad at you, Eugene. I guess your charming personality doesn't help when it comes to trading negotiations, huh?" Rapunzel teased, reaching to peck his jaw. "Maybe you should've pulled out the smolder."  
>He rolled his eyes good-naturedly, and they left the castle arm-in-arm.<p>

They spent the day browsing the markets in the small town square near the castle and treated themselves to trying the Arendelle delicacy of krumcakes, but finally headed back to the docks at around seven in the evening.  
>An hour later when they returned to the dock, their ship was ablaze.<br>The captain was standing on the dock, staring in horror as the flames covered the deck and then blazed up a pole, eating up the flag of Corona before the pole cracked and fell.  
>Rapunzel gasped. "What happened?"<br>The captain quickly turned, finally noticing the royal couple beside him. "I-I don't know...I just got here..." his eyes were bulging from his bewildered face.  
>She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but turned to look at her husband. He was hesitantly stroking his neck, wincing as he felt his fingers touch the burns running along the left side of his neck. When he met her worried green eyes, he let his hand drop, but she knew he was thinking the same thing she was: had Queen Elsa started this fire?<br>"I'm truly sorry, your highness - it appears we will have to see if there are any ships available to purchase so we can go back to Corona. If I would have stayed put-""It's fine, Leonard! If you'll please go check into buying another ship, we have the funds to do so. We'll be right back," she told him quietly.  
>He nodded before leaving obediently. When he was gone, Rapunzel turned to Eugene. "I'm going to find that woman. Someone could've gotten killed!"<br>"Whoa, whoa there, feisty. You're not going anywhere near her," he snagged her arm.  
>"But I'm not going to let her think she can just...just bully everyone! That was my parents' personal traveling ship!" she exclaimed. Tears sprang to her eyes when she mentioned her parents, who had died from the plague just one and a half years ago.<br>Eugene softened. "I know. But you can't just barge in there. She's dangerous, and I won't let you." She huffed, staring him down. Finally, he shook his head and looked away. "You're not going to let it go, are you?"  
>"No, I'm not!"<br>He groaned. "Fine. We'll go see if we can go talk to someone. Not her, but someone. We'll report it to someone."  
>She nodded, her mouth set in a firm line. He kept her close to his side as they sprinted for the castle, but didn't come across anyone until they actually arrived at the castle.<p>

Anna and Elsa were apparently having it out right in front of the entrance.  
>"I don't <em>care <em>what you think, Elsa. It's wrong, and you're being a bully!" Anna yelled. "Mother and Father wouldn't want this."  
>The Queen gasped. "How dare you bring them up! I'm doing what's right for this country, and you're too dense to know that. Our parents would approve of me making this country the most powerful in the world."<br>"I know they would, Elsa, but they wouldn't like how you're doing it. Your success is only because you're driving other countries into the ground. And look what you did to their ship! You'll start a war if you're not careful!"  
>"Well, let it happen! Nobody would stand a chance; not with what I'm planning!" Elsa spat. When Anna started to warn her against whatever she was planning, the young Queen angrily threw her arms to the sides, sparks bursting into the air from her fingertips. Eugene grabbed Rapunzel closer to his side, surprised. "Why are you even questioning me? There's a reason why you're merely a princess, just the spare. When I'm done with you all, you'll regret questioning me."<br>Anna gasped and buried her face in her hands and the Queen, satisfied, strode off into the castle.

Rapunzel pulled away from Eugene to go chase her down, but he caught up with her, grabbing her arm in an iron-tight grip. Anna noticed them, and quickly attempted to pull herself together.  
>"How long have you been here?"<br>"Long enough to know who ruined our ship, and long enough to know that your sister's insane. What the heck _was _that, exactly, and how is it that she can...throw fire from her hands?!" Eugene shouldn't have been surprised, really. After all, he had married a girl that once had hair that glowed and healed people.  
>"I-I'm so sorry," she whimpered. "I tried to stop her. She was...was born with those powers," she explained.<br>"It's not your fault, Anna. What is your sister's plan? If she got this mad because we confronted her about trade, I'm almost afraid to know." Rapunzel said.  
>"I don't know...but I'm scared. I don't know what she's got planned," she repeated, sniffling and rubbing at her nose.<br>"Whatever it is, it doesn't sound good," Eugene piped up. Just as he finished his sentence, there was an angry cry that erupted from the castle and then five scorched envelopes fluttered down from a window to land by their feet.


	3. Chapter 3

Eugene and Rapunzel met back with the captain, and he said that they would be unable to purchase a boat until the weekend. Groaning, Eugene turned to his wife.  
>"Great, so we're stuck with the crazy fire-queen for five days. That's just spectacular. You know-"<br>"Eugene!" Rapunzel hissed. "Stop. Anna's coming."  
>She nodded towards the redhead, and Eugene quickly snapped his mouth shut.<br>"You guys...I know you're from Corona and you're not necessarily...we're not necessarily on the best of terms with you guys right now, but...could you help me with Elsa? I don't know what to do with her and she..I don't know what she's up to. She's scaring me...she set her entire room ablaze," Anna whispered the last part.  
>Rapunzel's eyes widened. Eugene started to disagree vehemently, but she overlapped his refusal. "We're here for five more days, anyway - of course we will assist you in any ways necessary."<br>"Yeah, the reason we're still here is because that woman set our freaking ship on fire. _On fire, _Rapunzel!"  
>Anna bit her lip and grimaced. "Sorry..."<br>"Eugene. We're here anyways, why not?" Rapunzel rolled her eyes at Eugene's resistance. "He's just a little, uh...disturbed. It's not that I don't feel the same way...that was my parents' ship...but I'm fine with helping you."  
>Seeing that he was outnumbered, Eugene groaned and agreed reluctantly.<p>

The trio headed to the castle - the captain, upon hearing what was going on, elected to find an inn to sleep at, instead of staying in the very same castle as the fire-powered queen was. When they got back to the castle, they all headed for Elsa's room.

When they got there, she was gone. The room was blackened, but Anna still ran to put out a small flame that was still working on the remnant's of the Queen's bed.  
>"Where do you think she went?" Rapunzel asked.<br>"I don't know, but she sometimes spends entire nights reading in her den. We'd better leave her alone, after seeing this. We'll talk to her tomorrow - I'm sure you guys are tired. I'll show you to your room," Anna rambled. It was quite clear that she was nervous and worried for her sister, what with her quick talking and twitching hands.

The next morning, Eugene and Rapunzel emerged from their room early in the morning and wandered to find the dining hall. Anna and Elsa were already there.  
>The Queen had clearly not slept the night prior; her pale blue eyes glared over the dark circles on the skin around them. Her dark hair hadn't been brushed and hung raggedly down her back.<br>"Why are _you _still here?" she snapped.  
>"You kinda burned our ship down," Eugene pointed out. "We can't get out of here until the weekend."<br>She glowered.  
>"Elsa, what is the matter? You run one of the biggest countries in the world to begin with, you should be pretty pleased!" Rapunzel said. She didn't mention that the reason she <em>was <em>was because of her less-than-fair trade policies.  
>"My people are turning against me. My own sister will not support what I am doing. They will not listen or accept me. They don't see the good I've done, they only miss the merchandise we no longer get from other countries. " she said, staring blankly at the tablecloth. The dead gaze in her eyes frightened Anna.<br>"Elsa, I love you as my sister, and you know that! But you know what you're doing is wrong-"  
>That was it. Elsa jumped up, shoving her chair hard enough to make it clatter to the ground. "I've heard enough of that same sentence, Anna! Leave. <em>Now!<em>"  
>"You can't banish me from my own castle," Anna said. "I may be a 'spare', but I'm a princess."<br>Elsa's eyes widened in anger, but she stormed from the room. Her shoes left charred impressions on the wooden floor of the dining hall. They stared a moment at the trail her shoes made before turning back to one another.  
>"This is worse than I thought," Anna mumbled. "Maybe I shouldn't have blurted that out-"<br>"Ya think?" Eugene asked.  
>"Eugene...be nice. Anna, do you want me to go talk to her?"<br>"Absolutely not!" Eugene yelped. Anna shook her head in agreement.  
>"I don't want you getting hurt over this, neither of you. You're not even from this country! No, we'll let her go. Maybe today we'll keep tabs on her, see what she's planning, if we can?"<br>They talked quietly for almost a half an hour, discussing plans, but then they heard screams outside of the castle. The three of them ran to a window and saw a thick trickle of lava heading slowly away from the castle courtyard. Townsfolk stared in horror before realizing what it was, screaming and rushing in the opposite direction.  
>"Anna, do you think..."<br>"She's planning on burning the entire country to the ground, or at least enough of it to make everyone fear and respect her?" Anna finished, and Rapunzel nodded.  
>"Well, if <em>that's <em>what she'd going to do, we need to take action right now, right this second," Eugene said, leaning on the windowsill to stare at the thick ribbon that was staining the stone courtyard. 

Anna raced to evacuate the entire castle and get all of the servants, maids, and cooks to a safe location while Rapunzel and Eugene got the horses out of the royal stable, which was directly beside the castle. One of the Fjords smelled the sulfur of the lava and squealed, refusing to leave the safety of its stall. Eugene removed his vest and covered the horse's eyes and nose with it, leading it out to safety with the others just before a corner of the stable caught fire. Grabbing Rapunzel's arm, they rushed out of the barn, meeting back up with Anna.  
>"Where did Elsa go? Is she in the castle?"<br>"No," Anna shook her head breathlessly. She stared as the flames worked their way slowly up the side of the barn and the trail of lava grew, heading quicker towards the nearby shop. "She...she probably ran away."  
>"Irresponsible fool," Eugene growled under his breath. Rapunzel didn't disagree.<br>"So what's our plan of action?"  
>Anna and Rapunzel started to discuss what to do, but Eugene broke them off.<br>"Uh, ladies...was that there yesterday?" he gestured, and they both looked up.  
>Nestled near the mountains, not so obvious that it was a glaring change, stood a huge, ugly, brown volcano.<br>Anna gasped. "How-urrrgh! Of _course! _If she can create and control lava, she can melt stone and turn it into a volcano. Well, that's just great. I bet that's where she plans to hide out."  
>"Then let's go! It's probably just a days' journey, if we go at a quick pace," Rapunzel reasoned.<br>Eugene shook his head. "You're staying here."  
>"Who says? I'm perfectly capable of holding my own!" she glared at him.<br>He pulled her aside and whispered in her ear. "I don't want to put you in danger."  
>"Eugene, I already am! If you let me back here, you won't know what's going on, and neither will I. I'd actually be in more danger staying back than I would be going with you!"<br>"But you wouldn't be confronting a psychotic fire-queen," he threw back.  
>"Eugene, come on. Plus, don't you think I'm a little worried about <em>you <em>getting hurt?" He'd died in her arms, only to be brought back from her healing tear. Her parents had just died a year and a half ago. If he died - again - , she'd be all alone.  
>His face contorted, and she knew the battle was already half over. Finally, he huffed. "Fine. Come on...but if I tell you to stay back or something, you do so. Hear me?"<br>"Crystal clear," she nodded.

Going back to Anna, they immediately left. Luckily, they soon came across the spot where the lava stopped flowing; it had only caused one minor burn to the shop across from the castle. The owner had quickly put the fire out and in doing so, and no one was hurt.  
>But that was the least of their worries. They had no less than made it out of the town square when a low, resonating growl filled the air. A new, thick stream of lava flowed from the smoking volcano, but the small eruption wasn't what had created that sound.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

The threesome trudged through a forest just off of the town square. Trails of fire, smoke, and smoldering dirt showed where Elsa had traveled. One lone wagon was overturned, smoking and partially destroyed, with no trace of the owner or the animal that had pulled it. Anna shuddered to think about it.

"So what do you plan to do when you get her back, hopefully in her right mind?" Rapunzel asked, clasping her hands behind her.

Anna looked bewildered. "Well...I dunno. Hopefully restore trade to other countries. If anyone knows or finds out, which...heh...it'd be hard _not _to know...anyway, if anyone finds out, she'll be removed from the throne,"

"That might be a good thing," Eugene grumbled. He didn't have a good feeling about this.

"Oh, be nice!" Rapunzel elbowed him. "Everything will be fine!"

"I hope so," Anna said quietly.

They soon neared a clearing, where they stopped to take a quick break. The smoke was getting thicker, and so Rapunzel tore strips from her skirt to cover all three of their mouths and noses. Rubbing his eyes, Eugene made mention of the fact that they had no food or water.

"There is a small inn just about seven miles off," Anna suggested. "If we hurry, we may get there by nightfall. It will be about halfway to the mountains."

Everyone agreed, and kept going, tightening the strips of cloth around their faces and falling silent.

As a red, eerie glow spread over the forest, Rapunzel finally realized how dangerous this was.

They were going up against a woman with supernatural abilities; they were barely even armed. To boot, this woman wasn't afraid of a little recklessness and murder. She couldn't heal anyone; she was merely the former lost princess of Corona. She barely even knew how to run her kingdom, let alone negotiate with a reckless, fire-powered ruler of a nearby country. And Eugene...what if she lost him? Again? Glancing over to Anna, she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. The princess was just about all Arendelle had left at this point; she couldn't possibly be lost either!

Eugene noticed his wife had dropped back, and decided to do the same. Nudging her gently, he gave her a concerned glance. "Hey...you okay?"

"Oh! Yes. Um...just thinking," she gave him a brave smile of sorts and caught up with Anna.

It was past nightfall when they reached the inn, Swan Song. There had been two more minor volcanic eruptions that day, but they were increasing in magnitude; Anna suggested that her sister was experimenting with her powers. By now, they could barely see through the thick, oppressive, smoke, which was lined with a brighter red glare.

As soon as they stumbled through the inn door, yells of greetings and 'shut the door!'s flooded their ears.

Eugene stared warily at the rough bunch, and reached to put his arm around his wife's slim shoulders when he saw one of them eyeing her up.

"We need a place to stay," Anna announced loudly. "We are on the quest to stop Queen Elsa from the chaos I am sure you know she is creating. I am the Queen's sister, Anna, and this is the King and Queen of Corona. If you have some food, drink, and rooms available, we would be eternally grateful."

A tall, gruff man strode up to her, tramping heavily with his thick-soled boots. Anna bit her lip, but she stood her ground. "We aren't expecting you. Why would I let you stay?"

"Because we are the only ones who can save this country; who will save your inn and your homes from being destroyed. Please, just one night!" Rapunzel stepped away from her husband to plead.

He considered her for a moment, and a cruel grin spread over his face. "What are you willing to do for a place to stay and a bite to eat, pretty little lady?" he began to stride over to her, and Eugene met him with a square knock to the jaw. It knocked the huge man backwards, and while he was flailing, the ex-thief grabbed him by the hair and whipped a small pocketknife from his pocket, holding it under the man's nose.

"How _dare _you address my wife and the Queen of Corona in such a manner, and I swear, if you ever do that again, I will be sure to send Queen Elsa down to visit you," Eugene hissed, yanking the man's hair angrily. "Now, you'll-"

"Eugene!" Rapunzel gasped, horrified. She was horrified with his behavior, and had never seen him act in such a manner.

"Stay back," he glanced over his shoulder to warn her. Something in his eyes told her to stay back, and when he was distracted by her, the man overpowered him. He kneed Eugene in the stomach and threw him to the floor, knocking the knife from his hand and turning it on him.

Rapunzel gasped, but kept her head. Anna gawked, frozen in terror. Rapunzel caught sight of the kitchen, and with one leap, launched herself over the counter and grabbed a large skillet. It was almost too heavy for her, but she managed to knock the man out cold, although on top of Eugene. She whirled around, holding the pan out menacingly to the patrons that stood, ready to fight against them.

Eugene scrabbled out from under the man, and the patrons stared in surprise. Going to pour a tall glass of ice water over the ruffian's head to wake him, he leaned over him to take his knife back. "And for roughing up the King of Corona, you'll provide weapons for us. Though you don't deserve it, we will pay the fees for rooms and a meal." He wiped a streak of blood from his lip, and then glanced towards Rapunzel. "Thanks."

"Mmhmm..." she lowered the pan and glanced at Anna, who was still frozen.

"Fine," the ruffian spat, stumbling up and waving his hand towards one of the patrons. "Get them food and water. They'll sleep on the floor, though."

The other nodded, turning to prepare the simple meal of bread, small slices of meat, and cheese. He filled glasses full of water for them, and set them down at a table together.

When they were settled and had thanked him, the kinder patron knelt to whisper. "When you are done, I will show you to your rooms, your majesties. I apologize for Bryant's behavior, he was borderline drunk and irritable to begin with. I am Aaron, by the way. I will provide you with weapons as requested, although," he chuckled quietly, glancing at Rapunzel, "I feel like you could fend for yourself with just a frying pan."

"Little do you know," Eugene said, half to himself.

"I'd like to, once this is over with,"

"We'll be happy to tell you, sir. Thank you for your kindness," Rapunzel smiled and responded for the three of them, because Anna was staring at him, flushed.

After their meal, the handsome patron, Aaron, showed them to their rooms. Anna was in a room across from Rapunzel and Eugene's, so they were still at least somewhat together.

Aaron lowered his voice. "Could I possibly join you on this journey? I'm sure you need as much muscle as you can get," he added, rolling a sleeve up to flex his muscles jokingly.

Anna giggled, blushing, but Eugene eyed him warily. "You're not just gonna take us out on orders of your boss buddy, huh?"

He shook his head vehemently. "I would never. You can trust me, sir."

Eugene gave him a firm stare before turning to Rapunzel. "What do you think?"

"I trust him, but I'm not a good one to ask, because I try to see the good in people..." she trailed off and looked at Aaron.

"I trust him," Anna added, but it was obvious it wasn't for his trustworthiness.

Eugene sighed. "Fine. You did treat us well this evening, so we'll trust you. But don't give me any reason not to. But if you have a family, by all means, stay with them. It's going to be dangerous."

He shook his head. "I'm nineteen and don't have a family. Not even parents, not any more," he admitted.

Eugene nodded, softening. "I see. Well, we'll be leaving early in the morning-meet us in the main room of this place at six, okay?"

He nodded. "Yes, sir."


	5. Chapter 5

The following morning, the trio met up with Aaron at promptly six in the morning. They ate a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and then Aaron grabbed a basket, filling it with bread and bits of foods that wouldn't be spoiled in a matter of hours. He took a couple of water skins from under a floorboard.

"My parents'. We'll have to share, but it's better than becoming as parched as you three were yesterday," he explained. He quickly filled them with water before handing them and the basket of food to the ladies. Gesturing to Eugene, the men went outside to a shack off of the main inn, which was an armory of sorts. They took a sword and a smaller knife each for themselves, and then small, easily-manageable blades for the ladies. Rapunzel also snagged a frying pan from the kitchen, unnoticed.

When they were prepared, they resumed their journey.

The air was thick with smoke, and by now, a steady stream of lava was sluggishly dragging through the very same forest, heading for town. Rapunzel started to choke on the thick air, but Eugene quickly tore a strip from his shirt to cover her mouth and nose; everyone else did so as well, since they had abandoned their old cloth covers last night.

Aaron blinked to see through the smoke. "How are you gonna contain that woman? She's...she's insane.".

" We, uh, well...we um..we haven't thought that far. I always expected to just talk to her-" Anna started.

"Like that worked the first time? No. Arendelle depends on you, Anna, and you need to stay safe. You'll not just waltz in and start confronting your sister! We need a more intricate plan." Eugene broke in, and they all nodded.

As they walked, they all planned. Soon, Aaron and Eugene had concocted a plan that everyone agreed upon. They breaked for a quick meal, and, invigorated, surged on into the mountains...into the unknown.

But what awaited them was more than what they could ever fear.

By nightfall, Anna was falling hard and fast for Aaron, and vice versa. They arrived less than a hundred feet away from the volcano before they stopped for the night. The heat was almost unbearable, but they managed.

"It isn't safe for all of us to sleep without anyone watching for eruptions or danger," Eugene explained, "so I will stay up for a few hours, Aaron will replace my watch, Anna will replace Aaron, and Rapunzel, you'll replace Anna. Okay? Tomorrow, we move. Remember, we can't take any chances and if she gives fair enough reason to defend yourself with that sword, do it."

Anna sucked in a deep breath. She didn't like the thought of her sister being murdered. She wouldn't stand for it! She had just made some poor decisions, and she wasn't that dangerous, was she?! She had never hurt her!

Aaron chewed his lip thoughtfully. He wondered where he would go after this journey. His time working for the inn was finished, since he had basically stolen their supplies-Eugene told him he'd borrowed the weapons, but what if they couldn't bring them back in pristine order? He'd pay, big time. He still had the welts across his back from the last time he had gone against orders: he had offered a woman, running away from her abusive husband, a room to sleep in for just one night, and though he had paid the fee with his own money, he'd still been whipped. And now...he'd never felt this way over a girl. He knew he couldn't marry her-him being a simple commoner, but he couldn't keep his heart from hoping otherwise. He didn't care that she was a princess-he just yearned to be with Anna.

Eugene considered the danger of the situation, which was enough to keep him alert through his watch shift. Sometime during his watch, Rapunzel stirred. She couldn't sleep for anything.

"Hey," he whispered. "You need to rest up; be alert for tomorrow."

"I can't sleep," she mumbled, coming over to hug Eugene, burying her face in his shoulder.

He slipped his arms around her and made a concerned sound in the back of his throat. "What's up?"

"I'm scared. I can't lose you, Eugene. I can't lose you, and we can't let Anna or Aaron get hurt, either!"

He sighed, meeting her wide, scared eyes when she rolled them up to look at him. "I wish I could tell you that you were being silly and you needn't worry, but I can't. I'm sorry. We'll play it as safely as we can, you know that. And I will protect you and those kids with everything I've got."

"But what about you?-" he broke her off with a kiss, hugging her tighter. "Don't worry about it unless it happens. Now...get some sleep, Blondie. I love you."

"I love you, too," she answered, her voice cracking. She was terrified. When she went to lie down, Anna whispered a quiet reassurance that everything would be okay. Or maybe she was trying to convince herself of that.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for your patience, guys! I've been crazy busy lately. Hope you enjoy the start of the climax!  
>_<strong>

The group neared the volcano. They had to watch their step and mince carefully in amongst the thick streams of lava that was coming not from the crater of the volcano, but instead from the bottom, through small openings at the base.  
>After a quick glance, the bunch realized that Elsa had closed off any means of entrance into the hot volcano.<br>At least, that's what they were supposed to believe.  
>Aaron noticed a very subtle, rough pathway scaling the side of the volcano.<br>Though the group was sweating buckets and their stomachs were churning like the magma inside of the monster they faced entering, they plunged forward, making their way up the towering face of the volcano.  
>The various un-reassuring growls, rumbles, and occasional spurts of lava chased their feet faster up the pathway, stumbling and tripping over the rough, hot rock.<p>

After what seemed to be an eternity, they reached a small opening: just big enough for them to crawl single-file into the volcano.  
>Once inside, Eugene and Aaron's hands immediately went to brush against the smooth handles of the weapons at their sides, somehow reassured by the knowledge that they were still armed.<br>"Elsa? Elsa-a-a!" Anna yelled.  
>Eugene quickly grabbed her shoulder, clamping a hand over her mouth. "Don't attract attention! We don't know where she's at, and she's liable to come out flames first!"<br>"But how will we-" Rapunzel started to ask how they'd manage to find the queen when they heard a click-clack of high heels on the hard rock.

The queen stood before them. Her black hair was singed, her dress burnt in places and sooty; her skin had a strange discoloration to it.  
>She gasped. "You little traitor! Have you no respect for your queen? I wouldn't expect you to have any respect for me as your sister, but please? Betraying a queen? That is an all-time low."<br>"Elsa, please...stop this madness!" Anna cried, pulling away from Eugene and moving to confront her sister.  
>Elsa's piercing blue eyes stared defiantly at the redhead.<br>"Oh, Anna, how foolish can you be? What power do you have to stop this, to stop me? You are nothing, and you know nothing." she crooned, tilting her head mockingly.  
>"I know you can't go through with this! I know you can stop it. We can stop it together! Please, Elsa..." she smiled despite her sister's cruel remarks. "We can fix this! I promise your people will forgive you, as well as the other countries - Rapunzel, won't you?"<br>"Yes," the brunette nodded, despite the choking noise Eugene made.  
>"It's too late for forgiveness!" Elsa spat. With that, she clenched her fists and stamped a foot. A loud rumble echoed in the volcano, and then she smiled. "They'll all soon regret questioning me. When they're burning alive, they'll have wished they had seen what I was doing for them. I know what's best, not them!" she said angrily. With a swish of fabric, she turned away and stormed off.<br>"Elsa, wait-" Anna ran forward and grabbed her sister's shoulder.  
>With surprising quickness, the queen grabbed her wrist, twisting around to give her sister a cold, heartless stare. Eugene blocked Aaron and Rapunzel from running to help her.<br>"Do you not understand me? I know what is best, not them, and surely not you. What do you know of ruling a kingdom?"  
>Anna's face contorted. "A lot more than you do, apparently!"<br>Elsa's hand slowly turned the same color as the volcano walls. Her veins visibly pulsed a glowing orange, and Anna soon cried out, snatching her wrist away. It was red and scorched.  
>"Leave."<br>"No. Not until you stop this, Elsa!" Rapunzel came to her senses, stepped forward, and pushed Anna behind her.  
>Eugene grabbed Rapunzel's arm, but she pulled away.<br>"Elsa, this isn't showing your people who is right. It's inducing fear. You won't be a successful leader if you do this...you won't if you ruin half of your country!"  
>"You know nothing! Do you realize that I could kill you in an instant! I could end <em>all of you<em>!" she ignited a spark in her hand, just to prove a point.  
>That's approximately when Rapunzel noticed the black, rough skin covering the soft underside of the queen's arms, stretching up to her neck.<br>She impulsively reached to touch it before Elsa could inflict harm upon her. The blackened skin was as hard as the walls of the volcano.  
>"This is destroying you, isn't it? Your power?"<br>"_Leave_!" Elsa yelled. The woman's eyes turned panicky, and Rapunzel knew she'd struck a nerve.  
>"Yeah...this is turning you into hardened lava; into stone. You're over-using your powers. How can you rule your kingdom if you're dead?" she spoke quickly. "Please, if you stop this, you and Anna can figure everything out together; you can rule your kingdom with a fair hand and they will learn to trust and understand you, I'm sure!"<br>The woman backed away from the other queen. Anna was crying.  
>"Did you know?" she sobbed.<br>"No. But I won't -I can't! - stop now!"  
>With that, she ran off, and the other two girls tried to pursue. Aaron and Eugene quickly ran after them, grabbing them and holding them back.<br>"This is a suicide mission. We can't stop her, she doesn't care who she kills. Rapunzel!" Eugene finally snapped, giving his wife's shoulders a shake when she tried to pull away. "No. I can't let you go after her!"  
>There was a gasp before Aaron yelped. "Anna, no - don't!"<br>Eugene and Rapunzel turned to look, and saw the redhead running away, precariously close to the edge of the thin pathway...headed to confront her sister once more.  
>"She kicked me and I couldn't hold her back," Aaron gasped, stumbling forward a step and staring fearfully after the girl. Then, without any further notice, he took off after her, one hand ready on the sheath holding the sword at his side.<p>

Rapunzel looked up at Eugene, her green eyes wide with panic. Groaning, Eugene rolled his own eyes and pushed past her, leading the way after the other two.

The path was long, encircling the volcano once before slowly winding downwards. The echoing clack-clack of the five set of feet was nearly unbearable on the hard rock, and none of them could catch their breath, due to the immense heat inside. Sparks floated up from the magma, and Rapunzel glanced down to see the huge, glowing mass, churning lazily hundreds of feet below them.  
>Further ahead, Aaron caught up with Anna.<br>"Are you insane?!" he yelled, clutching her shoulders.  
>"She's my sister! I can't let her die!" she sobbed.<br>"I know. I-I know. But you're-listen, Anna," he tried to calm her sobs. "Listen. You're all Arendelle has left. This isn't going to end well to begin with, but you can't risk getting hurt - or worse. Okay? You're all this country has left. Your parents wouldn't want you to get hurt pursuing her like this."  
>"You don't know my sister," Anna said quietly, simultaneously reaching to hide her burnt wrist.<p>

That's when the dragon emerged.


	7. Chapter 7

Fire breathing dragons are terrifying enough, but how about a dragon made of hard, black, nearly impenetrable hide and created merely to kill? There was just one, but it could have killed them all in one firey breath. It prowled gracefully from the depths of the volcano, smelling out its targets.  
>Elsa, nearly spent, stumbled to where the group had now reunited. Her skin was blackened, her eyes bloodshot. Thick liquid; not quite blood and not quite magma, dripped down her arms. Blackness peppered her lips, which she could barely move.<br>"Goodbye, Anna." She had seen the sheaths at Eugene and Aaron's sides.  
>One way or another, she would die, but she would see her sister perish first.<br>Clenching her fists, another thick burst of magma flowed out of the volcano. With that, Elsa stumbled slowly away from them and then loosed a sharp, short, ear-piercing whistle.  
>Anna gasped. "Stop!"<br>The dragon lunged.  
>The pathway crumbled, separating Rapunzel from the rest of the group, and in the madness, the queen disappeared out of danger.<br>Eugene let out a cry, realizing that his wife was separated from them.  
>The dragon leapt for Anna, but she slashed its tender nose with her knife. Aaron drew his sword, slashing desperately at its hide.<br>"Stay there!" Eugene yelled at his wife. He didn't know that Elsa was working her way across the volcano to capture his wife.  
>Reaching for his sword, he managed to tear his gaze away from his wife, turning to aid the other two with the dragon.<br>Rapunzel, frustrated with her uselessness, started to run away, headed around the looping pathway to meet back up and help them.

She was met by Elsa's staggering figure.  
>Gasping, she backed away. She wanted to run, but she dared not turn her back to the crazed queen.<br>But Elsa had a plan.  
>"Help..." she whispered. She knew Rapunzel's secret. She had once been able to heal the sick and injured. Though her powers were gone, she remained very passionate in helping others. She would hesitate to flee the queen. Turning away from an injured person would destroy her.<br>Just as Elsa had planned, Rapunzel paused, panic growing in her eyes.  
>Elsa lunged.<p>

Knocking her to the ground, she wrapped her rough, hot fingers around the other queen's neck. She focused on forcing her remaining energy into burning Rapunzel alive.  
>Rapunzel choked and gasped. She knew she couldn't cry out and distract the others - that would prove fatal. She felt around her waist, and felt her fingers grip the rough handle of her small knife. Clutching it, she squeezed her eyes shut and considered her options.<br>A loud, reptilian sound - a cross between a growl and bloodcurdling scream - assaulted her eardrums. Cheers told her that the dragon had been slain.

Eugene turned, wiping the soot and blood away from his eyes. He smiled triumphantly towards his wife, only to see that she was gone out of sight.

"Help!" Rapunzel screamed. She'd get help. She couldn't kill Elsa. She _couldn't! _  
>The rough blackness slowly crept across Elsa's face, but she couldn't get any fire into her hands. Her arms streamed steadily with her mix of magma-and-blood. Gasping, she managed to tighten her grip around Rapunzel's neck. The brunette cried out, feeling her neck become excruciatingly hot.<br>That's when she struck upward with her knife, squeezing her eyes shut and holding her breath.

Elsa choked, rolled off of Rapunzel, and desperately yanked the knife from her stomach. With shaking fingers, she attempted to cauterize the wound, and that's when she finally turned to solid stone, frozen in place with her hands pressed to her stomach as she lay on the ground.  
>The volcano went silent, and Rapunzel's sobs echoed all around it.<br>Moments later, Eugene was at her side, dropping to his knees and pulling her against his chest, muttering words of reassurance and turning her head into his shoulder so she wouldn't stare at the statue.  
>Anna froze and then collapsed on the path floor, weeping for the loss of her sister.<br>A loud, trembling groan shook the volcano, and boulders came crashing down, falling into the magma below.  
>"It's coming down!" Aaron cried, pointing to the top of the volcano and distracting the other three away from the other situation.<br>The top of the volcano opened. Chunks of the ceiling tumbled down into the hot, still magma below. It splashed upwards, and Eugene's shirt sleeve caught fire. Patting it out quickly, he hauled Rapunzel to her feet.  
>"We have to get out of here," he yelled. "Come on, run!"<br>The foursome raced to the entryway and started to quickly slip out into the open air. Only three got out.  
>Aaron didn't escape in time. The opening slammed shut, and part of that side of the volcano collapsed in on itself.<br>Anna shrieked. They all stared, frozen in horror, but then their pathway threatened to give out. Hauling Anna away with one arm and pulling his wife close with the other, Eugene pulled the ladies down the path, away from the imminent danger.

They ended up rolling down the last twenty feet, and that's when they were met by a bloodied Aaron.  
>Anna saw him first. She screamed his name, scrambling frantically to her feet and stumbling over the hardened lava rivers to tackle him into a tight hug, crying openly.<br>Eugene helped Rapunzel to her feet and quickly pulled her close.  
>No one spoke for a long, long time. The volcano had completely crumbled; all but a pile of boulders and dried lava remained from the towering monstrosity.<br>When they spoke, finally, Aaron told his tale of how he had escaped. He had raced for the opposite side of the volcano, climbed over the crumbling edge, and had half-fallen, half-rolled down the face of the volcano. He had injuries to prove it, which the three of them quickly tended to.  
>Once the shock of it all had died down, they began the slow trek home, dreading what destruction surely awaited them.<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

After the foursome came back, following the trail of lava, they saw that the inn they had stayed in had been destroyed. Some houses deep inside the forest were destroyed as well, and the streams of lava left bare, black paths throughout the forest. Some nearby trees had caught fire, but the flame, the lava, everything had stopped as soon as Elsa had died. It was strange to see half-burned trees, blackened but the fire squelched by some unknown force.

The lava hadn't gone very far. It had quickly slowed, and had not even reached the town square that they had left behind just two days before.  
>Only few had been injured or killed, thankfully.<p>

When the group returned to the castle, the medical staff quickly tended to all their injuries, and Anna offered Aaron a place to live at the castle. He accepted, of course.

Three days later, the coronation ceremony was held for Anna to become the new queen of Arendelle. A ceremony was held to commemorate queen Elsa, but not many showed up to see the boulder placed and engraved by the old graves of the former king and queen of Arendelle. Rapunzel and Eugene were able to attend both ceremonies and board their new ship for home later in the day after the coronation. Trade was restored throughout the countries, and once more, all was well.  
>Aaron became Anna's royal escort, accompanying her anywhere she went. Since she was the queen and could disregard any rules of royal marriage, it's safe to say that they married two years later. Rapunzel and Eugene returned to the country of Arendelle for the celebration as representatives for Corona, but this visit was much more enjoyable than their last.<p> 


End file.
